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MODERN MINING
July 2015
OFF-HIGHWAY TRUCKS
AND EXCAVATORS
feature
range that promotes safety – and productivity
– is the company’s satellite-based Fleetm@tic
fleet management system – a ‘world first’ when
it was launched a decade ago.
On the subject of innovation, Gillham says
that most ADTs on the market these days have
an array of high-tech features. “Bell itself has
been responsible for many of these including
HillAssist, Bin Tip Prevention, Turbo Spin
Protection, On Board Weighing and our Auto
Park Application, all of which are standard fea-
tures on our trucks.”
Bell offers the biggest range of ADTs in the
African market (with a matching set of exca-
vators, all sourced from Liebherr but sold by
Bell, to go with them). The ADT models specifi-
cally designed for mining are the B40, with a
37-tonne payload, which Bell sees as a flagship
machine given its huge popularity, the B45,
the B50, which can carry 45,5 tonnes, and, of
course, the B60. “It is certainly not uncommon
to see some of our smaller units at mines and
quarries but the B40, B45, B50 and B60 have
been designed from the ground up for tough
mining applications,” says Gillham.
The B60D was introduced at the BAUMA
Africa show held in Midrand in 2013 and since
then has not received a great deal of publicity.
Gillham says that this has been by intent. “Full
commercial production of the B60 is only due
to start with the E-series in 2017 so we’ve held
back on the marketing,” he explains. “Having
said this, we do have machines working very
successfully in the field and are selling limited
number of D-series machines to customers both
locally and abroad.”
The Bell B60 has an interesting design.
While it classifies as an ADT, it would perhaps
be more accurate to describe it as a ‘hybrid’ as
it uses the two-axle concept that characterises
rigid haulers. “Put simply, the B60 combines
the best of both worlds,” states Gillham.
“While it has just the two axles like any rigid
truck, the difference is that the front axle is
also driven so that it has a full 4x4 capability.
As is the case with any ADT, the front and rear
chassis are independent, giving it the manoeu-
vrability that rigid haulers lack. While it will
be up to our customers to decide where the
B60 best applies, we believe – and we said
this when we launched the machine – that
it will be well suited to the difficult ground
conditions typical of many South African
mines and quarries, particularly where there
are tight turns and steep ramps. Often the
flotation of an ADT is not really required but
significant savings can be seen without hav-
ing to do maintenance at the load and dump
areas. It will give fleet owners a lot of options
– among them the ability to keep operating in
wet conditions which would bring a conven-
tional rigid fleet to a standstill.”
Bell ADTs working at a large
open-pit copper mine in
Zambia.